Japanese sports car

Today we decide which of three legendary and sporty Japanese coupe gets the flamethrower. Will it be the Toyota, the Mazda, or the Nissan? All of these vehicles are the last in their line, so this one might be a bit difficult. Rear-drive, serious performance, twin-turbo motors, and sweet styling are the hallmarks of today’s trio — the short-lived pinnacle of the ’90s Japanese sports car. Toyota Supra The fourth generation Supra model began production in early 1993, as Toyota aimed to take its sports car in a more serious direction. Performance and handling were at the forefront of this new A80; previously those two had taken a back seat to luxury appointments and more brougham styling. All Supras had the same 2ZJ inline-six engine, either with or without a turbocharger. Naturally aspirated versions had 220 horsepower, while turbo versions upped that figure to an impressive 320. Today’s selection is a turbo with six-speed manual — the best one. A … [Read more...] about Buy/Drive/Burn: Japanese Sports Cars From 1995

The Japanese domestic market (JDM) is known for its unique cars around the world. Kei cars, which is a popular type of the vehicle in the Japanese market is now available in the global markets and is getting a lot of popularity. One such Kei car from the JDM is the Azam AZ-1 and it is dubbed as the smallest sports car in the world that you can buy. What is it about? The Azam AZ-1 came during this time by Suzuki and Mazda. In the 1990 Tokyo Motor Show, three concept models of AZ-1 were showcased and they all were well-received by the audience. The Type-A concept model was put into production and Suzuki built the Azam AZ-1. The cars were sold through the Mazda’s sales channel and competed with other Kei cars available in the market. However, by the time the AZ-1 came into the market, the recession hit the JDM and the car was forced out of production only after 3 years and about 4,000 units of the vehicle were made. Today a lot of Azam AZ-1 cars are finding their way into the USA … [Read more...] about Why Americans want this TINY Japanese sports car [Video]

When the R35 Nissan GT-R first came out it was a clear representation of engineering black magic; it sourced its power from a V6 and it wasn’t even extremely light. Staggeringly though, whether on the straights or around corners, it could outrun cars with V8 and V10 engines that cost twice as much as it did. Then there was an updated model in 2016 which was a bit disappointing as it didn’t quite live up to the expectations we had a “new” GT-R. But now according to Nissan’s plans, the next-generation GT-R is set to take its crown back. The Japanese automaker is still at very early stages of development. It hasn’t even been decided whether or not the next-generation GT-R will go electric. But the company’s design boss Alfonso Albaisa, suggests that an electric powertrain will not be strictly necessary in terms of the vision Nissan has for the car. Related Posts A Production Nissan GT-R50 Will Cost You R14 Million Jul 9, 2018 … [Read more...] about Next-Generation Nissan GT-R To Be The Fastest Super Sports Car In The World

Like stories like this? You’ll see every article as soon as it’s published by reading the print edition of Grassroots Motorsports. Subscribe now. Story by David S. Wallens • Photos Courtesy of their Respective Manufacturers Sports cars are the backbone of our motorsports scene, but which ones propelled us from one automotive epoch to another? We have 12 game changers that helped revolutionize our world. Use whatever tired cliche you’d like: Each car on this list raised the bar, upped the ante, or simply blazed new trails. 1970: Datsun 240Z As far as sports cars go, the 1970s were pretty much just a carryover from the previous generation. Don’t believe us? Exhibits A through G: MGB, Triumph TR6, Alfa Spider, Fiat 124, Porsche 911, Jaguar XKE and Chevy Corvette. Datsun kicked off the decade with something new, though, giving us cutting-edge styling, a fully independent suspension, and that super-smooth inline-six. Oh, and it didn’t cost a … [Read more...] about 12 Cars That Raised the Bar for All Sports Cars

The Fast and The Furious roared into theaters 17 years ago and it helped to increase interest in Japanese sport cars as well as the tuner movement in the United States. While the movie was released nearly two decades ago, ClassicCars.com says the film continues to have an impact on prices of Japanese cars such as the Mazda RX-7 and Toyota Supra. That’s an important fact as the company notes people who were teenagers when the movie originally came out are now starting to collect cars. Starting with the Mazda RX-7, ClassicCars notes a 1993 model originally cost around $33,000. That’s roughly $57,360 with inflation factored in and buyers can expect to pay around that much for a used RX-7. News of the Toyota Supra revival has sparked renewed interest in its predecessor and the company notes Mark IV models have seen “explosive growth in value.” While the car cost around $50,000 when new, the average used model now goes for around $70,000. Acura killed the Integra … [Read more...] about The Fast And The Furious Movies Continue To Push Up Prices Of Japanese Sport Cars

This year marks the 40th birthday of one of the greatest sports cars ever made: the wedge-shaped, rotary powered Mazda RX-7. So let’s celebrate a car that gave this world all the spinning triangle weirdness it deserved. With all the dirt cheap $800 Craigslist Mazda RX-7s out there, it’s easy to forget just how influencial this car really was, especially for Mazda, which in the late 1970s was struggling thanks to high fuel prices. Around that time a lot of automakers including General Motors, Mercedes and Citroën were working on rotaries, but Mazda is the only one that ever really made it work at scale. (The NSU Ro80 is cool, but it didn’t have the staying power.) “Mazda bet the farm on its rotary, whose easy power came with the price of a ravenous appetite for fuel,” Ben Hsu said in his book Classic Japanese Performance Cars. This put Mazda in a tough spot when fuel costs took off in the 1970s, with Hsu writing: “The company’s … [Read more...] about The Mazda RX-7 Turns 40 And Remains A Sports Car Legend

By a show of virtual hands, how many of you saw the newest Top Gear episode that aired over the weekend? The Japan episode? Was your mind blown? Because mine sure was. To recap, this episode was very much in line with past Top Gear specials in that it didn’t really follow in the traditional Top Gear format. There was no celebrity segment or hot lap segment. Instead, we were treated to an hour-long program devoted wholly to an examination of Japanese car culture by Chris Harris, Rory Reid and Matt LeBlanc. It was good. We started off with a segment where a Lexus LC500 and Honda Civic Type R went head to head against each other at the track. Then Harris and LeBlanc were given a challenge to each buy a cheap, used, ’90s-era Japanese car at auction and then complete a set of challenges with it. Reid, meanwhile, went off on his own to experience some underground Tokyo car culture. To begin, the animated visuals in the Lexus vs. Honda episode were killer. The stylized opening … [Read more...] about Top Gear’s Japan Episode Blew My Mind With ’90s Sports Cars

Tweet TweetThe Japanese at Nissan have made an announcement that makes us rejoice at the idea and also sets them up for a bit of mocking. Nissan have announced their plan to make a new sports car that’s going to slot under their 370Z Coupe. It’s meant to be a rival to the Toyobaru coupe. We’re glad Nissan is working up a successor to the Nissan 240SX (or maybe 240Z?) but it’s kind of unfortunate that they needed Toyota to do the research and take the risks before them. This response will almost certainly convert itself into a successful car which means there’s a lot of cash to be made from enthusiasts tired of overly complicated “sports cars”. The idea to rival the Toyobaru coupe would mean one of two things for Nissan, they either need to find a partner to cut back on the costs or create a bit of a parts bin special by themselves. Nissan’s Chief Creative Officer, Shiro Nakamura came forward with the announcement and he didn’t … [Read more...] about New Nissan sports car on the table

Fifty years ago today, Mazda sent a shockwave through the industry by offering for sale the world’s first rotary powered sports car—the beautiful and futuristic Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S. Despite its lackluster sales, the Cosmo set the stage for rotary engine use in the automaker’s lineup, and what resulted are among the most delightful cars ever created. After developing the rotary engine as a teenager, German engineer Felix Wankel eventually went on to develop airplanes for the German government, and later to work for German car and motorcycle company NSU. In 1959, NSU invited 100 execs from auto companies around the world to see his invention. Among those executives was Mazda’s (at the time called Toyo Kogyo) president, Tsuneji Matsuda. Tsuneji Matsuda—the son of the man who turned Mazda from a cork company (yes, for use in wine bottles) into a car company—needed a way to make his company stand out so it wouldn’t be forced to merge with other … [Read more...] about Mazda’s Cosmo Turns 50 Today So Let’s All Celebrate Wacky Rotary Sports Cars

Never has the choice of sports cars at the affordable end of the spectrum been greater, each offering thrills to match, and in some cases exceed, more expensive peers.It's not all about brake horsepower at this end of the market, most of the cars in our top ten list put driving bliss ahead of raw, straight out performance. But we gurentee each will put a huge smile on your face. 1. P o rsche 718 CaymanEven with its new downsized four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, the 718 Cayman is by some distance the most complete sports coupé on sale – and easily talented enough in the handling department to overcome slight misgivings about the way the crank is now turned.In the long-term, memory of its past power source will eventually fade. The manifest and numerous qualities of the 718 will not. 2. Mazda MX-5There isn’t a single area in which this new Mazda MX-5 fails to surpass its predecessor. It’s shorter, lighter, more spacious and … [Read more...] about Top 10 best affordable sports cars 2018